{"id":83163,"date":"2021-04-02T05:20:04","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T11:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=83163"},"modified":"2025-11-07T07:09:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T13:09:08","slug":"spring-sage-thrasher-portrait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/04\/02\/spring-sage-thrasher-portrait\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Sage Thrasher Portrait"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SpringSpring Sage Thrasher portrait \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/400, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The second bird I photographed yesterday morning on Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a> was an adult Sage Thrasher in gorgeous early morning light. Our Sage thrashers are just beginning to migrate back into northern Utah for their breeding season and I am glad they are arriving. I saw and heard a thrasher on a previous trip to the island but the bird was too far away to photograph and the light angle was poor.<\/p>\n

I spotted this Sage Thrasher so close to the road that I decided to take portraits of it. It isn’t often that I have this species in my view finder close enough for portraits. I hoped to hear this Sage Thrasher sing<\/span><\/a> but it was silent while I focused on it.<\/p>\n

Very soon these thrashers will be displaying and courting and I hope that I will be able to take some photos of their courtship displays<\/span><\/a> in great light on the island before the no-see-ums come out. I have severe reactions to the bites of the no-see-ums and while they are out and biting people I will need to limit my time on the island.<\/p>\n

Taking my first of the year Sage Thrasher photos made my pulse quicken yesterday. It is wonderful to have these “Mountain Mockingbirds” back for their breeding season and I look forward to hearing their songs ringing out over the sagebrush once again.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Sage Thrasher photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The second bird I photographed yesterday morning on Antelope Island State Park was an adult Sage Thrasher in gorgeous early morning light.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":163040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,1022,103,26],"tags":[4004,4142,6692,821,4164,4046,4003,165,4613,735],"class_list":["post-83163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-sage-thrashers","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-close-up","tag-early-morning-light","tag-mimids-2","tag-oreoscoptes-montanus","tag-portrait","tag-sage-thrasher","tag-spring","tag-thrasher","tag-thrashers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sage-thrasher-close-up-adult-mia-mcpherson-2045.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-lDl","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100621,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/13\/looking-for-my-first-of-year-sage-thrasher\/","url_meta":{"origin":83163,"position":0},"title":"Looking For My First Of Year Sage Thrasher","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"March 13th is an anniversary of sorts for me. The date is the earliest that I have seen and photographed a Sage Thrasher in northern Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fluffy Sage Thrasher adult warming up on a rock, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sage-thrasher-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-0248.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sage-thrasher-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-0248.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/sage-thrasher-adult-on-rock-mia-mcpherson-0248.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent some time yesterday on Antelope Island State Park photographing and listening to a very cooperative and melodious Sage Thrasher.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Singing Sage Thrasher in low light, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sage-thrasher-singing-low-light-mia-mcpherson-5350.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sage-thrasher-singing-low-light-mia-mcpherson-5350.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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